Conquering Europe

[oneteaminglasgow]

October 2109

An unbeaten month, which is a bit more like it. Good win over Debrecen, and a great draw with Ferencvaros. Should've beaten MTK but a decent enough point anyway.

Positive month. We probably need to start scoring more goals to have a good season though.

But it's certainly a much better season than we had last year so far - will definitely take that. 

 

[oneteaminglasgow]

November 2109

I'll take that. We were fantastic in the game against Ujpest in particular, but all of these games had things that we should be pleased about.

Still in fifth place, but we're genuinely still in with a shout at the title. I really doubt we'll do that, but another European qualification could be on the cards. 

[oneteaminglasgow]

December 2109

The winter break has come at the wrong time for us, because we're starting to look really, really good. 4-0 against the side at the top of the table is sensational stuff, and we were much better than ZTE as well.

A season of not scoring enough goals, and now we've scored 13 in 3 games.

Into the top four, and now only three points off the top.

There's a chance here.

[oneteaminglasgow]

January 2110

Some outgoings to start us off, mostly players who were wanting to leave as they weren't getting a game. Which is fair enough really.

But it does mean that I need some reinforcements.

Mauricio Mosquera is a centre half from Colombia, and is coming here to get his first first-team experience. Very solid defensively, and has a bit of skill on the ball as well - he looks like a really good young player. He's quick and fit - he could do with being a bit stronger, but at 20 he's still got plenty of time to improve and plenty of potential to do exactly that.

Spoiler

Another young South American has joined us - this time in the form of 19 year old Chilean striker Ricardo Espinoza. If he was better at finishing, there'd be no chance of him rocking up in Hungary let alone at us, but he isn't so here he is. Other than that, he has an awful lot to like about him and I'll be trying my best to improve his finishing shortly. Great first touch, technique, passing, flair - everything you want in a striker who holds the ball up and brings others into play, he has.

Spoiler

Bence Toth is a back up goalkeeper. I needed one, and he's here. He's also Hungarian so unlike Currie who he replaces, he doesn't count towards the non-EU player limit. Which is swell. He won't actually play unless something goes very wrong.

Spoiler

A good win over a decent enough Honved side in our only league match, and then very comfortable progression in the cup. Couldn't have asked for more from the month, and now we're five wins in a row. 

Into third place, and still only three off the top. More importantly, we're starting to pull away from fifth and secure the European spot. 

[oneteaminglasgow]

February 2110

We're doing really well just now. There's a couple of very frustrating results in there with us failing to beat MTK and Debrecen, who are both shite, but with us beating Ferencvaros who are a title challenger I can get over it.

Through in the cup as well, and it's been a long time since we lost a game.

We've moved up to second, just two points behind Vasas, with one third of the season to go.

[oneteaminglasgow]

March 2110

Stands to reason that as soon as I said it had been ages since losing a game that I'd immediately lose twice. Sees us drop out of the cup, and drop points in the league.

We bounced back pretty well though - 6-0 isn't bad, and then a decent point at Ujpest, and a win against bottom side ZTE where they sat in for the whole game and we managed to break them down eventually.

It's a three horse race for the title. We're currently third, but next up...

I think it's pretty obvious how big a game that is. 

[oneteaminglasgow]

Matchday 27 - April 2101

Spoiler

That is exactly what the doctor ordered here. In truth, it's a bit of a smash and grab effort with my goalkeeper and defenders all playing brilliantly, but going away from home against a title rival, I'll certainly take it.

Ferencvaros losing their Budapest derby gives us a helping hand too, a perfect start to our run in.

And we're narrowly at the top of the table for now.

 

[oneteaminglasgow]

Matchday 28 - April 2101

Spoiler

A very, very frustrating game for us. If we had a lot of luck in the game against Vasas, we got absolutely none in this one. We were a bit disjointed at times in our attack, but still probably should've won.

At least the others dropped points too, so no real change at the top.

Another game closer I suppose, and five wins will make it a title for us.

 

[oneteaminglasgow]

Matchday 29 - April 2110

Spoiler

We got the win in the end, but that was far from convincing. I mean, at this stage of the season, I'm only interested in the result but still.

And it's lucky that we did get the result, because there were no slip ups from the other two.

Still top, but no room for error. 

 

[oneteaminglasgow]

Matchday 30 - April 2110

Spoiler

f**k.

We deserved to win, but we didn't get the goal so only ourselves to blame.

f**k.

It's out of our hands now, and we're away to Ferencvaros next.

 

[oneteaminglasgow]

Matchday 31 - May 2110

Spoiler

On the face of it, a good result, but it's not what we were looking for just now with a title on the line.

It was a game of few chances, and our penalty award was controversial to say the least, but a point is a point I suppose.

But that is exactly what we wanted to see in the later kick off. Honved doing us a massive favour.

The league goes by games won as a tiebreaker, so we're going to need them to drop more points. 

 

[oneteaminglasgow]

Matchday 32 - May 2110

Spoiler

An emphatic win for us with goals all over the pitch, and Hogarth making it his best scoring season of his career with 12. Lovely way to round off our home season.

With Ferencvaros drawing, they are now out of the title race and it's between us and Vasas.

I need to better their result. If they win, they win the league.

Unfortunately, they're playing the team who're second bottom of the league. We face third bottom. 

 

[oneteaminglasgow]

Matchday 33 - May 2110

Spoiler

We did our bit, but to no avail.

A good season overall, but one that'll be tinged with regret. 11 draws has killed us.

Something to build on for next season though. 

 

[oneteaminglasgow]

A major positive for us this season has been Tibor Papp, our 18 year old number one keeper.

So that's all great stuff.

Oh dear. 

[oneteaminglasgow]

And just like that, a new season is upon us. We should be getting through that with absolutely no bother.

[oneteaminglasgow]

Europa Conference League - First Qualifying Round - July 2110

Spoiler

Only 3-0, but that's as comprehensive and one-sided a game as we'll have all season. They're no very good, and we'll be heading through to the next round.

Need to get the tie in Wales done first though.

Spoiler

Another easy enough game, without us really giving them a doing. The tie was completely over after 2 minutes though.

Still, we're through with no bother or fuss, and that's all I'm really looking for.

Swedish opposition will be a step up in quality though.  

 

[oneteaminglasgow]

Europa Conference League - Second Qualifying Round - July 2110

Spoiler

A really, really good performance with two equally great goals.

They're a decent side, but a two goal lead should put us in a very strong position to get through.

Spoiler

Another good performance in a different way from the first leg, with more emphasis on our defence this time. But we're through to the next round, and getting close to a shot at the group stages.

Oh dear. They'll be good, I would expect. 

 

[oneteaminglasgow]

Europa Conference League - Third Qualifying Round - August 2110

Spoiler

It's a loss, and we were outplayed, but not so much that I don't have any faith that we could get a result in the home leg. Whether that result would be enough to get us through, I don't know.

Spoiler

Espinoza is the reason we've made it through here.

He won a penalty, which led to our first goal (he hit the post, which hit the keepers back and went in) and then scored from a tight angle to put us ahead. He didn't directly assist the third goal, but played a role in setting up the move and his movement in the box gave Banfalvi the room to score.

Some performance, and we're two games away from the group stage.

Where we'll be facing 31-time Bulgarian champions Levski Sofia. 

 

[oneteaminglasgow]

Europa Conference League - Fourth Qualifying Round - August 2110

Spoiler

It's a decent result, but it does mean that we'll definitely need to score in Bulgaria or we're heading out. I think we can do it though, we have enough about us and they're not miles ahead of us I don't think.

We'll see how it goes I suppose. 

Spoiler

A first half where everything went wrong. Just could not catch a break and they scored basically every time they got into our box. An Espinoza goal right at half time was a nice consolation, but it was clearly already well beyond us by that point.

Oh well, no group stage football for us, but it was a good run.

 

[oneteaminglasgow]

Transfers 2110

A huge amount of outgoings this summer, so I'll stick to the highlights. Tibor Papp was far too good for us, and wanted away, so getting over a million quid - albeit not all up front - is a decent deal. Sajjad Kadhim was out of contract in the summer, and refusing to sign a new deal so got a wee bit of cash, but most importantly ensured he didn't join a rival. Edvardsen, Tapinska, Lorincz and Kundrak are all good players around the first team, but none are first choice so was fine to see them go.

And some replacements.

Oskar Kursa is my replacement fro Sajjad Kadhim, although he's not as talented a player. He's largely played in the Polish second tier, but was most recently a squad filler at Ferencvaros. Good defensively, and can pass a wee bit, so he should be useful enough. Unsure if he'll be a regular starter or a bench player, but either way I'm pleased.

Spoiler

Mihailo Novovic is my new number one keeper following the sale of Papp. He's the Montengrin under 21 first choice as well, and has everything you'd want to become a really good keeper. I'm also not paying anything for him, which is swell, and while he's not quite as good as Papp was, he's probably about as good as I could've hoped to get.

Spoiler

Muhamed Vehabovic will be one of my starting centre halves, but can also cover across the back line. This will be his first experience outside Bosnia, but he looks like he should have the makings of a good player for me. A bit weak in the air, but good at everything else.

Spoiler

Luis Fejzullahu is an attacking midfielder and joins us from KF Tirana, where he was nearly breaking into the first team. A good technical player, and he's got a good long shot on him which I like - he already has a couple of goals for us. His ability to take a corner is also very helpful. 

Spoiler

Keanin Coetsee joins us from a South African premiership side, where he was a rotation player. However, he'll unquestionably be my first choice right back. Very solid defensively, can pass (if not cross) and he's got great physical stats too - other than his relative lack of pace which could be a hindrance for a full back. As I said, other than that, I'm happy.

Spoiler

Georgi Bogdanov is a central midfielder, and I've got to say I slightly misjudged him - I thought he looked better than he seems to actually be. A great passer, but other than that he's a bit lacking in what I want, particularly in terms of his game intelligence. In a few seasons though, he should be great.

Spoiler

Martin McRitchie is a central midfielder/attacking midfielder and he's here for his first real first team experience despite being 24. Started out at Rangers, then went to Livingston but his only proper experience is on loan at Cove Rangers. Nonetheless, his vision and passing are good, his touch is good and he works hard. Very fit as well. I'll need to work on him, but he could be very decent for us.

Spoiler

Kacper Kozlik is a right winger, who joins us after spending a career in the Polish second tier. He's made 263 appearances throughout his career though, so plenty of experience in a squad that likely needs a bit. He's very quick and a good dribbler, but lacks that end product that would've seen him make a better career for himself. Still, he'll be a good option for us.

Spoiler